A time of perverts

Burn-out affects hundreds of thousands of employees in France, and is spreading like an epidemic in the 21st century. One of the primary factors cited by specialists is increasingly brutal and manipulative managerial practices. 60% of employees feel that their manager is a source of stress for them. With the force of analysis and vivid style that made his previous book Clan des seigneurs such a success, Paul-Antoine Martin bears witness with startling realism to the terrible collapse represented by burn-out, its causes and its impact on the lives of those it strikes. He describes the uncommonly violent management methods and harassment to which he was subjected for many months. More broadly, he denounces the totalitarian drifts underway in the world of work, as well as the general hypocrisy that reigns there, noting that society promotes leaders who are brutal, perverse and affectless. Finally, the author tells how, thanks to his wife’s love, he gradually got back on his feet, free and stronger, despite the suffering, after-effects and relentlessness of his ex-employer. His testimony is a powerful message of hope, fighting spirit and dignity for the countless victims of burn-out. Paul-Antoine Martin, 57, an engineer by training (CentraleSupélec), has always worked in an industrial environment, from Anglo-Saxon multinationals to French public institutions. He has held senior executive positions, rubbing shoulders with captains of industry, politicians and senior civil servants. Patrick Légeron is a psychiatrist, burn-out specialist and co-author of the Académie de médecine report on burn-out. He is the author of several books on the subject.